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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

God Bless Us Everyone - 2010

The folks at The Haney Place adopted a military family this year.  Well...so the military family adopted us.   Because, of course, they have given in real time their father/husband/loved one in sacrifice for our personal safety and security.  They are the givers, we are the beneficiaries.

At any rate, we wanted to make this post to show all of the loved ones who participated this year the effect of their efforts.  And it's blessing us here tonight.  More of us than you can know.  It's a ripple effect, this well-wishing.  We feel it every Christmas.  Let's feel it every day, all year.

Stiva finished trimming the tree while I finished wrapping some gifts.  He wanted to wrap, but I just KNEW his artistic side would take over...do any of Steve's friends realize how artistic he is???



At any rate, there are still a few gifts trickling in, and yet, this is what we've come up with for this blessed family, whom we could never repay for their love and sacrifice.

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Thank you, one and all!!!  Jen, and your dearest of families, and all of the good folks I've grown to love and appreciate through this Christmas love-fest!!!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Merry Dogmas - And OMG He's Fabulous!!!


Who but the dearest of Grace's of the Rensselaer PetSmart could make such an old dog look and feel so Christmassy Awesome?????

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Pizza, Can We Talk?

If you're seriously trying to be frugal and wise, pizza might be your best choice.  The only picture I have left of tonight's glutton-fest is the following: 


Yes, yes, yes.  Gluten free, leftover wonderfulness for two nice lunches tomorrow for me and Big Steve.  So let's talk frugal.  And talking frugal must involve the Hillbilly Housewife at some point.  I LOVE her recipe for regular pizza crust.  It can create a whole cookie sheet full of wonderful, hot, doughy, tasty delicious comfort-food type pizza for about $2.  Seriously.  We kid you not.  You can find her recipe here:  http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/pizzacrust.htm  It was a wonderful bubbly goodness when I took it out of the oven.  Eventually it simmered down to a lovely thin crust pepperoni pizza existence.  There were no slices left to photograph.

I also made another pan of pizza with Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten-free flour recipe.  It was, hands down, the BEST gluten free pizza I have ever enjoyed!!!  I've eaten gluten free pizza out, but it couldn't hold a candle to this.  You can find the recipe here:  http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=1426

So - Christmas is coming -- money is tight.  Do you need to go hungry?  NO!!!!  Treat your family to some awesome comfort food tonight!!!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Good Night, Friends

Isaiah 26:3  says l shall keep him in perfect peace,Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You

Good night friends. 

A Strange and Wonderful Life

It occurred to me just a few seconds ago that life here at the Haney Place is both strange and wonderful.  Equally.  At the same time.

Here is our wonderfully convenient pre-lit tree we scored a few years ago on Black Friday (something I would NEVER consider doing again, but I digress).  The beauty and convenience of the pre-lit does leave a little something to be desired after a few years...

It's not really clear in this photo...but if you look very closely, you will notice that the clear lights work on the top and the bottom of the tree, while the colored lights work only in the middle...If someone would come up for a name/theme for this arrangement...I'd be glad to stick with it.  Good grief.  Oh, please also take note of the ever-present building permit decoratively situated right behind the tree...yes...this is the Haney Place indeed!!!

Then on to Christmas cookies.  I intend to make cookies called "meatballs" this year.  The recipe, I believe, originated with my Aunt Gloria.  They look like meatballs, but they are moist and tender chocolatey, cinnamoney, orangey goodness.  And the recipe calls for lard.  Lard.  Not a typo. 



So when going through my inventory of ingredients, I was sad that I would have to make another trip to another store to purchase said lard.  Then just now, while browsing through the freezer in the kitchen, I found a pound of lard.  SCORE!!!  I was ecstatic.  Impulsively, I held it up in the air, yelled LARD, OH JOY -- clutched said pound of lard to my chest while Big Steve was passing through the kitchen to the back door.  I put the lard in the fridge to defrost for tomorrow's baking, and then it occurred to me...neither I nor Big Steve had noticed anything remarkable in my behavior....

So...let the holiday preparations begin!!!!!!!!!!!!